Control, Power & Manouverability
Manouvering vessels in today's confines of a busy harbour, or marina can challenge even a skilled crew. Cross winds and tides can be difficult to overcome with conventional propulsion, and steering gear, particularly when "stern to mooring" which is becoming a more common practice around the World. Lewmar Thrusters can help provide additional control just when you need it at the touch of a button, or move of a joystick. Lewmar have a range of well proven thrusters which suit sail or power vessels from below 30 - 150ft.
For highly controlled maneuvering in restricted situations Lewmar's TT ELECTRIC Thrusters represent a move forward in design and function. Easy installation and maintenance free operation are benefits that will attract both builders and owners. A comprehensive program of testing has proved that the new Lemar Thrusters deliver efficient, balanced and supremely quit performance.
Why do I need a Thruster?A Thruster makes boat handling, especially in tight harbours, much eaiser by gently moving the Bow with a small independently driven prop without having to use the main engine. What size Thruster do I need for my boat?It depends on your expectations. I am buying a new boat but haven’t decided to have a Thruster installed can it be fitted later?Yes, there are plenty of installers around. It may cost a little extra and will involve hauling the boat and a few days of installation. What Battery power do I need?Thrusters have very powerful electric motors and it is recommended where possible to have a dedicated Battery close to the Thruster with a separate charger. This saves the problems of installing expensive, large cables from the main battery bank. Can I install the Thruster myself?The majority of the work involves choosing the location and installing the tunnel. A suitably qualified person should always carry out this work. Can a Lewmar Thruster replace my existing installation/ I have a tunnel and standard fit by another manufacturer?Yes in most cases providing the tunnel has the same internal diameter. Choosing the right Lewmar thruster for your boat.Today most yachts or motorboats over 45 feet have a bow thruster fitted as standard. The thruster will usually meet the expectations of most customers when using the boat under normal weather conditions. The sizes used by boat builders will vary depending on the boat's intended usage and price level. In today's production boat's of around 45-50, the typical thruster will push the boats bow against a direct side wind of 20-22 knots.
For boat owners who use their boats in more demanding conditions or have a strong current in their local marina, Lewmar can offer upgrades to a higher performance thruster. However, few pleasure craft need a thruster that can push the bow against a direct side wind of more than 25 knots.
The boat's wind area, the lateral wind draft area and the thruster's tunnel position in the hull determine the thruster's performance on a boat. By knowing these factors we can calculate the wind pressure on the boat and the centre point of this wind pressure. However the wind pressure is seldom from right angles and many boat superstructures are quite streamlined so we can reduce the factor slightly. From these calculations we can determine what thrust is needed to counter the wind pressure with the given thruster position.
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